Nilufer and Alpel's sailing adventures in the Eastern Caribbean. Stories of a lifestyle on a 38 ft Lagoon catamaran, covering from Portorico to Grenada, and from 2011 to date, with pictures.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Adventures at Clarke’s Court Bay

Al wanted to take our guests to the restaurant at Whisper
Cove Marina, to participate in their chicken special offered on Thursday nights.
So on Thursday, we braved the 9 feet waves, 20 knot wind on the nose and
counter current for about an hour to get to Clarke’s Court from Prickly, and
tried to anchor several times. Although our usual anchoring nook was not
crowded, there was one big mono-hull too close to where we wanted to stay.At first try the anchor slipped, so I had to
retract it with difficulty. Ever since we had anchored in this bay the first
time, our chain got badly twisted from constantly turning around 360 degrees.
As a result, weighing anchor got more difficult every time; chain slipping on
the windlass and rattling like crazy, slowing the process considerably.

After almost spending an hour, we anchored albeit a bit too
close to the other boat, and started getting ready to make a short dingy ride
to Le Phare Bleu Marina at the adjacent bay to the east, to show the facility
to our guests and have lunch. I somehow got the bright idea to take a shower
while Al and Selcuk were lowering the dingy. I noticed in the process that the
water in the shower floor was not going anywhere. I yelled for Al’s attention,
who promptly dismantled the pump, but could not see the problem. He connected
the lines to the starboard bilge pump to drain the existing water. Afterwards
he re-connected the regular shower pump right side up this time! Thinking that problem
was probably a priming issue, which seemed to get it working after all. I was
hovering over Al while he was sweating from his labours in such close quarters,
and started to glare at me for rushing him. So we decided to stay put and have
lunch at the boat. While we were sitting at the cock-pit after eating, Al saw
the mono-hull swinging towards us, and thought that it was too close, and
decided that we should move to a mooring ball instead. The dingy was in water, but
still hooked to the davids.

Al started the engines, and I labored over weighing anchor,
and came over to the helm to suggest that we should try the moorings of Whisper
Cove instead of the one almost adjacent to us, since we were to spend the
evening at the marina. Made sense, who needs to ride in the dingy, all the way
back in the dark? Al turned the boat around to change route, and immediately stopped,
running down the back steps.Apparently
he looked back to check the dinghy, and saw that it was lying on its side. Both
of us rushed down, to turn it around. Al released the dingy painter (line),
which is always tied at the cleat on the side, and was able to push the side
back. Al also got hold of the gas jug which was swimming next to the dingy.
Thankfully the security cable was still holding it in place, and our outside
shoes, which would normally be in the dingy, had been safely removed earlier
for the trip. Phew, no harm done, just a run of adrenaline for no apparent
reason, other than trying to make a short cut.

We got to the marina around the corner from where we were in
five minutes, and approached one of the few mooring balls. Wouldn’t you know
it, at the precise moment, it started to blow thirty odd knots, or so it
seemed; but I was able to catch the loop at the top of the ball, and slipped
both of the lines through. While Al and I were tying the lines, the owner of
the marina rushed to our side in his dingy, and informed Al that we had to tie
the lines to the pennant, not to the top of the ball. What pennant? The one
that he had to reach down and bring out.He helped to slip in the lines and explained that they were in the
process of attaching floaters to the pennants, and in the meantime they were
providing the service themselves. We thanked him, and I suggested he took our
guests to the marina, so that they could use their WiFi before dinner. Poor
things, they had been ready to go out the whole time, and were set back with
one thing and the other. We stayed back at Ruyam II to tie loose ends, and
removed ourselves around the dinner reservation time, to relax after the
ordeal. My medication was almost done, so I was able to enjoy a glass of wine
at last!